Hikari
by XO'MagickMoon'OX
Summary: When you've been cursed, all you want is for someone to understand your pain. [MalikxRyou]


**Hikari … **

_XO'MagickMoon'OX_

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I gaze up at the stone tablets hanging proudly behind a glass pane in the Domino museum. I sigh. The stone tablets, pitiful as they may seemed in their fragile state, inspire awe in all who look upon them. And, when you personally know the people who's faces are carved into the ancient stone, it makes them all the more fascinating.

Yugi and Kaiba, or rather, Pharaoh Atemu and High Priest Set.

Yugi's yami was the Pharaoh, a noble and proud and kind spirit.

There are some of us who were not blessed with such benevolent counterparts.

With this thought, the amulet hanging around my neck seems to grow heavy. I hate it, everything about it, from the gold it's made of, to the very shape of it, to the pyramid in the center. I want to tear it from its chain and toss it into the swirling depths of the ocean or … or into the pit of a fiery volcano. But I know that I can never get rid of it. It's too late for that. It's a part of me, and no matter how I run or where I go, it will always find me.

_He _will always find me.

Bakura, the ancient Egyptian, self-proclaimed "Thief King". The inhabitant of my ring. My yami.

I hate him.

"Life is so unfair, isn't it?"

I turn. Up until now I wasn't aware of the person standing a few feet away from me, also admiring the stone tablets. I know him.

"Malik. I … I didn't know you were here," I mutter. But he doesn't seem to have heard me.

"My family … for years we guarded the tomb of the Pharaoh. We dedicated our lives to him, our very souls and destinies. But we're no priests, or warriors, or kings … just tomb keepers. We're merely servants … footnotes in history, not even worth mentioning in the hieroglyphics, not even worth a corner on a tablet such as this. Life is so unfair." He gasps suddenly, screwing his eyes shut. I watch helplessly as his body tenses, seemingly drawn by an unseen force. He collapses forward, catching himself as he grips the metal railing surrounding the exhibit.

His breath his strained, and he's trembling. I take a wary step forward.

"M-Malik …?"

Then it stops. He drops to his knees for a few brief moments, catching his breath, before standing up slowly and leaning back against the railing, finally turning to look at me. He looks drawn and weary, though he smiles reassuringly.

"I mustn't think such things. It's those thoughts that created my yami, after all. Even though he's gone, I can still … feel the darkness in my mind, threatening to take over again." He laughs dryly.

"I can sympathize," I say wryly.

Malik looks away. "I'm sure."

I watch him curiously, looking him up and down. His fair, blonde hair, pale as moonlight, contrasting against his tanned skin. Gold jewelry adorning his body, cuffs clamped tightly around his biceps and neck. His hooded vest of lilac (such an odd color for man, though it looks so good on him) … and his black pants that hug his legs so perfectly, not too tight and not too loose.

But it isn't just his appearance that attracts me to him, but the fact that he understands me … and he's probably the only one in this pathetic world that does.

I voice my earlier musings then. "We didn't fair as well when it came to our yamis, did we? Yugi has the Pharaoh," I chuckle sardonically, "and I get an underhanded tomb robber."

Malik can't help but smile sadly. "Yes. It's unfair …" Then he frowns. "But at least it's not your fault that your yami is the way he is. Mine was derived from anger and pain … _my _anger and pain. It's really my own fault that he was ever created."

I walk to stand beside him, leaning back on the railing as well. He's studying the floor, though his eyes tell me that he doesn't actually see it. His mind is elsewhere.

"Agh!" A sharp, searing pain shoots through my head. My body becomes deathly cold, though my head feels like it's on fire, and my ears begin to ring. My amulet becomes unbearably heavy and hot, burning against my chest. I'm only faintly aware of Malik calling my name as darkness crawls on the edge of my vision. I can barely feel my knees buckle as I collapse.

Moments later, my senses return. But I still can't see, and I realize it's because my eyes had fallen shut. I'm too drained to open them yet. I wonder why the floor isn't hard or cold against my back, why I don't have a throbbing headache from landing on the ground. I wonder why I'm not lying flat, why I feel warmth around me. My curiosity alone is enough motivation for me to open my eyes, and I'm met with purple … soft, cottony purple.

My breath hitches. The reason I'm not lying on the floor is because I never hit the floor; Malik had caught me. I look up to meet his gaze, his piercing, violet eyes. I can't speak. What have I to say? My emotions are raging within my chest, between surprise and confusion, and happiness and excitement, and gratitude and relief, and a strange sense of … fulfilled longing.

I let my eyes close again as Malik sits down and holds me against him, resting his back against the wall. I feel so safe and protected, comforted in his arms. It's strange that, after all we've been through together … at Battle City and all … that I feel this way towards him.

"Ryou, are you all right?" he whispers.

I nod. "Thank you … for catching me."

"Any time."

I smile at his suggestive tone of voice, the subtle meaning behind his words. My head rests on his chest, my fingers clinging to his vest. I can just feel the words balancing on the tip of my tongue, the words I want to say. But, I'm afraid that I may be confused. I might not really feel the way I think I do about Malik. After all, we're barely friends. But, I feel like we have a strange connection, like he knows everything I've been through, and I, in turn, know everything he's been through. We share the same curse, and when you're alone in a dark, cruel world, understanding is the only light you can hope to find, the only warmth when you're stranded out in the cold.

Malik understands me. Malik is hope, warmth, light … he's everything to me.

I'm not confused. I know how I feel about him; I know that …

"I love you."

I look up at him, my warm, brown eyes meeting his own violet eyes. His expression is one of surprise, and he says nothing.

"M-Malik?"

My heart sinks. Why doesn't he say something? Why doesn't he react? He doesn't love me back. How could I think that he would? How could I think that, just because we share a special bond, he feels the same way about me that I feel about him?

My eyes begin to sting with tears. I hold them back. I won't cry in front of him. Just because the one person in which I find true solace, the one person that I feel I can trust with my life, the one person that makes my heart pound and my stomach flutter doesn't love me back isn't cause to cry.

Then, he reaches out and runs a hand through my hair, combing his fingers down to my ear, then down the side of my face, until he reaches my chin, which he raises. Then he leans in and presses his lips to mine. My gasp is only stifled by his mouth against mine.

I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He slides his arms around my back and pulls me closer. I don't think I've ever felt my heart race faster than it is now. I feel his tongue against my lips, and I part them in invitation as it searches the corners of my mouth.

Moments later, he pulls away and leans down to brush his lips against my neck, and whisper, "I love you, too."

And just like that, the weight of my Millennium Ring was reduced to nothing.

-End-

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**A/N:** So, whaddya think? Did the pairing suck or was it great? Bakura and Malik are practically my two favorite characters, and I wondered what they'd be like together. Well … review? Pretty, pretty please:puppy-dog eyes: 


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